I.The word “paradox” is defined as “A seemingly
contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.”

II.A paradox involves that which appears to be
contradictory.

Discussion:

I.WE MUST DIE IN ORDER TO LIVE!

Matt.
16:24-26, “Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.For whosoever will save his life shall love it:and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find
it.For what is a
man profited, If he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul?Or what shall
a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Rom.
6:3-6, “Know
ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into his death?Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.For if we
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should
not serve sin.”

II
Cor. 5:17, “Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new.”

Gal.
2:20, “I
am crucified with Christ:nevertheless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me.”

II.WE MUST MOURN TO BE HAPPY!

Matt.
5:4, “Blessed
are they that mourn:for
they shall inherit the earth.”

James
4:7-10, “Submit
yourselves therefore to God.Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts,
ye double minded.Be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep:let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to
heaviness.Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you
up.”

Phil.
4:4, “Rejoice
in the Lord always:and
again I say, Rejoice.”

Rev.
21:4, “And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain:for
the former things are passed away.”

III.WE MUST SURRENDER TO BE VICTORIOUS!

Matt.
19:16-22 (Read!)

Rom.
12:1-2, “I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.”

IV.WE MUST HATE IN ORDER TO LOVE!

I John 2:15-17, “Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world.If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not
in him.For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Matt. 6:24, “No
man can serve two masters:for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or
else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Luke 14:26, “If
any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and
wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
life also, he cannot be my disciple.”

Matt. 10:37, “He
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me:and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me.”

V. WE
MUST BE FOLLOWERS IN ORDER TO BECOME LEADERS!

Matt. 4:18-19, “And
Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
sea:for they were fishers.And
he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make youfishers of men.”

John 10:27, “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

I Cor. 11:1, “Be
ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

VI. WE MUST BECOME POOR IN ORDER TO BECOME
RICH!

Matt.
5:3, “Blessed
are the poor in spirit:for
their’s is the kingdom ofheaven.”

2
Cor. 8:9, “For
ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was
rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich.”

VII.WE MUST BECOME THE LEAST IN ORDER TO BECOME THE

GREATEST.

Matt. 20:25-28 (Read!)

Matt. 18:1-4, “At
the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven?And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in
the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be
converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven.Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Luke
9:48, “And
said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name
receiveth me:and
whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me:for he that is least among you all, the same shall be
great.”

VIII.WE MUST BE SIGHTLESS IN ORDER TO SEE!

2
Cor. 5:7, (For we walk by
faith, not by sight)

Rom.
8:24-25, “For
we are saved by hope:but
hope that is seen is not hope:for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it.”

IX.WE MUST WORK IN ORDER TO REST!

I
Cor. 15:58, “Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that
your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Matt.
11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest.Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart:and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Rev.
14:13, “…Blessed
are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;
and their works do follow them.”

X.WE MUST BE HOMELESS TO HAVE A HOME.

2
Cor. 5:1-2, “For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens.For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven:”

Phil.
3:20-21, “For
our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he
is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”